*

New York judge was seen as impediment to Musk's DOGE

*

Florida judge handled Trump lawsuit against Michael Cohen

*

Any unsealed transcripts likely to be redacted

By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK, July 21 (Reuters) - A federal judge who faced

Republican demands for impeachment after blocking Elon Musk's

government review team from accessing sensitive Treasury

Department records will consider whether to release grand jury

testimony from the criminal case of Jeffrey Epstein's associate

Ghislaine Maxwell.

U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan was

assigned to the case on Monday. Maxwell's trial judge, Alison

Nathan, is now a federal appellate judge.

The assignment came three days after the U.S. government

sought to unseal grand jury transcripts related to Epstein, the

disgraced financier and sex offender who died by suicide in 2019

in jail after being charged with sex trafficking.

In a Friday court filing, the Department of Justice said the

criminal cases against Epstein and Maxwell are a matter of

public interest, justifying the release of associated grand jury

transcripts.

Backers of conspiracy theories about Epstein have urged

President Donald Trump to release a broad array of investigative

files related to Epstein, not just grand jury transcripts.

Separately, U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami was

assigned on Monday to preside over Trump's $10-billion lawsuit

accusing The Wall Street Journal of defaming him by claiming he

created a lewd birthday greeting for Epstein in 2003.

Dow Jones, which publishes the Journal and is part of Rupert

Murdoch's News Corp ( NWSA ), said it will defend against the

lawsuit, and had "full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of

our reporting." News Corp ( NWSA ) and Murdoch are also defendants.

Engelmayer and Gayles were appointed to the bench by

Democratic President Barack Obama.

U.S. District Judge Richard Berman, an appointee of

Democratic President Bill Clinton, will oversee the government's

request for transcripts in Epstein's criminal case.

NEWEST TRUMP CASE FOR FLORIDA JUDGE

Many Trump supporters view the judiciary as an impediment to

the Republican president's policy and personal goals.

Each case could take several months or longer to resolve,

followed by possible appeals.

Engelmayer, 64, came under fire and drew Musk's scorn in

February after temporarily blocking Musk's Department of

Government Efficiency from accessing Treasury systems.

Congressman Derrick Van Orden, a Wisconsin Republican, said

impeachment was justified because the judge played politics in

his decision, "demonstrating clear bias and prejudice against

the president and the 74,000,000 Americans who voted for him."

Judicial impeachments are rare and normally reserved for

serious misconduct, not disapproval of individual rulings.

Any unsealed transcripts are likely to be redacted,

reflecting privacy or security concerns.

Gayles, 58, has been on the federal bench since 2014, after

the U.S. Senate approved his nomination by a 98-0 vote.

The Wall Street Journal case is at least the second Trump

lawsuit he has overseen.

Gayles presided in 2023 over Trump's $500-million lawsuit

accusing former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen of

breaching fiduciary duties by revealing confidences and

spreading falsehoods in books, podcasts, and media appearances.

Trump voluntarily dismissed that case after six months. The

lawyer who filed that case also filed the Journal lawsuit.